The United Kingdom's national security and defence depend fundamentally on the security of Europe as a whole. NATO is, and will remain, the primary guarantor of British defence. Its effectiveness and modernisation are therefore important UK priorities, as is its wider role in promoting stability throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.

The European Union plays an important complementary role to NATO in enhancing European and global security and stability. The EU has agreed on the establishment of a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) to ensure the EU has the tools to undertake crisis management operations, where NATO as a whole is not engaged, in support of its Common Foreign and Security Policy.

The Government has also published a report on the measures taken specifically since September 2001, which constitute Britain's part in The International Fight Against Terrorism. The report is a full account of the Government's actions at home and overseas and examines also the challenges for the year ahead.